Saturday, 22 May 2021: The 350 Beechcraft aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force in which the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, and six other top military officers and some men were travelling on official duty to Kaduna was troubled mid-air before its eventually crashed, CEOAFRICA can report authoritatively.

We gathered that the loud screams coupled with the explosion resulting from the aircraft before it finally crashed, reportedly threw the inhabitants of the airport community into chaos, fear and confusion.

Some of the locals, who witnessed the crash, said that the troubled aircraft exploded and got burnt completely by the time it hit the ground.

“All the crew members and passengers numbering 11 died in the crash,” a source at the airport told journalists in Kaduna.

“The crew apparently lost control of the aircraft due to sudden change of weather accompanied with violent storm and lightning,” the source explained.

The Nigerian Air Force confirmed the crash but was silent on casualties.

They however announced that an investigation into the crash would be carried out.

Recall the late army boss was in the office for nearly four months after being named as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26, 2021.